Dutch men Sjef, Schloesser secure top seedings in Nimes

Dutch archers Sjef van den Berg and Mike Schloesser jumped to the top of their respective ranking round lists off the back of 597 and 598-point qualifying scores on the second day of the 2017/18 Indoor Archery World Cup stage in Nimes, France.

“I struggled a bit in the beginning but after I don’t know how many arrows I got in the groove and shot a little better. I did make use of my fat arrows; I got a lot of liners, but that’s the game,” said Sjef, who finished a point up on Italy’s Max Mandia and two ahead of Brady Ellison.

“That was my top score in competition but I’ve shot it four times this year now. I’ve been consistent, but I would like to have the last couple of points – because I know it’s in there but I just make too many mistakes.”

Both Sjef and Mike, the latter three points clear of the rest of the compound men’s field, took breaks over the holidays.

“It’s taken a lot of effort to get my scores back up to where I want them. So I took that rest – maybe I shouldn’t have – and I’m glad I got everything back in time,” said Schloesser.

And the pressure on the world number three to perform at this event – at least in his own mind – is real.

At Nimes in 2015, Mike shot the world’s first ever perfect-600-point score in competition on the 60-arrow 18-metre ranking round.

“It’s great to come back every time to try and do it again. It brings some extra tension with it but I like it,” he said, who circled a potential first world indoor crown as the big goal on his ledger for the rest of this season:

“I’m working really hard for that one right now.”

The points required (out of a possible 600) to make the top-32 cut after qualification at the third stage of the 2017/18 Indoor Archery World Cup in Nimes, France were as follows.

Recurve men: 578 (+3 to 2017, +3 to 2016)

Recurve women: 541 (-10 to 2017, -17 to 2016)

Compound men: 589 (= to 2017, = to 2016)

Compound women: 575 (-2 to 2017, +2 to 2016)

The third stage of the 2017/18 Indoor Archery World Cup takes place in Nimes, France on 19-21 January 2018.